FOUR OHIO ALUMNI INDUCTED INTO HALL OF EXCELLENCE

March 31, 2006

The 2006 Evening of Excellence Honors Four Distinguished Alumni from
Ohio’s Independent Colleges and Universities

The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) inducted four distinguished alumni from Ohio’s independent colleges and universities into its Hall of Excellence on March 29, 2006 at The Westin Great Southern Hotel in Columbus, Ohio.

This year’s inductees are pioneers and leaders in their fields, building on the educational foundation developed at a private college to make meaningful contributions to society and pave new paths for the students that will follow in their footsteps.

William T. McConnell, a 1955 graduate of Denison University, joined Park National Bank in 1960 and was elected to the position of Chairman and CEO in 1994. He serves today as Chairman of the Executive Committee of Park National Corporation. Widely respected in the finance arena, Mr. McConnell was named by his colleagues as President of the American Bankers Association, the national banking trade association. He served two terms as Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and in 1995 and 1996 was among a small national group of executives named “CEO of the Year” by Financial World Magazine.

Peggy M. Ruhlin graduated from Otterbein College in 1983 with certification as a public accountant and financial planner. She joined with partner James Budros in 1987 to form what is now Budros, Ruhlin & Roe, Inc., a company with $750 million under management. Nationally recognized, Ms. Ruhlin was named “Financial Planner of the Year” by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors in 1998, was named as one of “100 Great Financial Planners” by Mutual Funds Magazine in 2001, and is past president and chair of the International Association for Financial Planning, the largest association of financial planners in the world.

Meredythe A. Scheflen graduated from Malone College, then Cleveland Bible College, in 1950. Through World Gospel Mission she entered the mission field and served in Bolivia, founding both a grade and a high school to train Christian children. In 1982 Ms. Scheflen founded Bolivian Evangelical University, the first private university in Bolivia and the first evangelical university in South America. Now attended by 2000 students annually, the university offers 15 majors and operates its own television and educational radio stations as well as daycare and medical centers. For her dedication to education Ms. Scheflen has received Bolivia’s Gold Medallion of Merit.

George M. Smart, a 1967 graduate of Defiance College, began his career with Central States Can Company in 1970 and within eight years was named President and Chief Executive Officer. In 1993 he founded Phoenix Packaging Corporation, a leading manufacturer of steel easy-open closures. Mr. Smart became a board member of FirstEnergy when it was created in 1997 and in 2004 was named FirstEnergy’s Chairman of the Board, the first non-executive chairman in the company’s history. He serves on the boards of numerous companies including Commercial Intertech Corporation and Unizan Financial Corporation.

These honorees were selected from nominations submitted by OFIC’s member institutions. A committee of OFIC board members selects Hall of Excellence inductees whose lifetime achievements exemplify the traditions, ideals, strengths and values of private higher education. The 82 past Hall of Excellence inductees include Senator John Glenn, Jr. and his wife, Annie Glenn, Coretta Scott King, Ohio Congressman Ralph Regula and Norman Vincent Peale.

The Evening of Excellence also honors donors, corporate and collegiate volunteers, and students.

OFIC is the primary corporate and foundation solicitation organization for 35 independent Ohio colleges and universities. OFIC member colleges collectively enroll more than 97,000 students and award one-third of all bachelor’s degrees in the state. For 56 years OFIC has worked to highlight the leadership, value and excellence of independent higher education and has provided unrestricted operating funds and scholarship commitments through funds raised in annual solicitations of businesses and foundations, thereby assuring continuation of excellence in private higher education. OFIC is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of Ohio’s corporate leaders, as well as presidents of the 35 member colleges.

The member colleges are: Antioch College, Ashland University, Baldwin-Wallace College, Bluffton University, Capital University, Cedarville University, University of Dayton, Defiance College, Denison University, The University of Findlay, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franklin University, Heidelberg College, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Lourdes College, Malone College, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein College, Urbana University, Ursuline College, Walsh University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University and The College of Wooster.